"Last Day On Earth"

"Last Day On Earth"

B+

B+

"Last Day On Earth"

Episode

7

In the second episode of People Of Earth, Gerry revealed that despite a great enthusiasm for aliens and conspiracy theories, he himself is not an experiencer. Although he is largely accepted by the rest of StarCrossed, it’s quite clear that he’ll never feel like he fully belongs. This point was subtly made in last week’s episode; as everyone else told their family about their experience, poor Gerry had to tell his father that he hasn’t been abducted, but…he’d really like to be! It was a subtle moment, but it was enough to illustrate the isolation he feels from the rest of the group. Sure enough, this week, after looking up the patterns of abductions in Beacon, Gerry attempts to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an experiencer.

Thinking he won’t return to earth, he deals with giving away his possessions (Richard is the only one he trusts), and more importantly, telling Yvonne his feelings. We saw the chemistry develop between the pair when they investigated Gina running over Kurt, and one couldn’t help but wonder if this would be explored again. Admittedly, the dynamic between the pair hadn’t been explored that much, so it does feel a tad abrupt. Still, the connection between the pair is obvious, and it can’t help but feel a bit emotional when they kiss for the first time. With nothing to lose, Gerry put his feelings on the line, and it was hard not to be happy for him when Yvonne ultimately reciprocates. Gerry’s attempt to be abducted ultimately falls flat, but when he returns to StarCrossed, he seems only mildly disappointed by it, especially considering how desperately he was hoping to finally have his experience. One can only assume his budding romance was enough to help him get over it pretty quickly.

Of course, that wasn’t the only potential romance explored in this episode. After being rebuffed by Kelly after awkwardly attempting to buy her a drink, Don gets another chance when she comes into the coffee shop to apologize. Having apparently become woke about male privilege in the interim, Don also apologizes for violating her boundaries, and the pair get a fresh start. After being creepy in their first episode, Don’s awkwardness is charming here. He’s equally nervous about saying something offensive, and about giving away his identity, but somehow, he makes it through their outing without screwing up, and returns to his ship with enough confidence to challenge Jeff for the first time. One can’t help but wonder if the aliens’ eventual arrival on earth will doom this potential couple, but for now, it was enjoyable to watch them interact with each other, as Don and Kelly rank among the show’s most likable characters, and the bond they’ve found with each other is a heartwarming development.

Finally, Jonathan is once again tasked with neutralizing Ozzie, who has been emailing the likes of Elon Musk, Nancy Pelosi, and Bono to get the heart of what the Glint corporation is up to. Of course, he doesn’t know the half of it, which is why the reptilians are getting increasingly nervous. After initially planning to expose Ozzie’s beliefs in aliens to the world, Jonathan relents due to his emotional attachment to him. This leads to one of the show’s key flashbacks, as we see a young Ozzie drawing a picture for Jonathan, whom he clearly regarded as a father figure. We were already made aware of young Ozzie’s experience with aliens, but here we get the second piece of the puzzle, learning that Jonathan, who had been somewhat distant up to this point actually cares about Ozzie as well. Watching him sacrifice everything he has to protect Ozzie (though he does acknowledge that as a good-looking white guy with an Ivy League degree, his prospects aren’t that hopeless) is one of the more effecting scenes in the entire series so far. Jonathan reveals himself as a hero, and we’re left to wonder what price he’ll ultimately pay for it.

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While previous episodes have either focused on one character’s backstory, or on the group as a whole, this one keeps three plots running at once, and acquits itself quite well on all three accounts. The bond’s between Kelly and Don, Gerry and Yvonne, and Jonathan and Ozzie were all explored brilliantly, and with surprising depth given the show’s brief run-time. With three episodes left in the season, and more and more secrets beginning to be revealed, one can imagine the members of StarCrossed will be taken for quite a ride over the next few weeks. With episodes like this, the show has done a brilliant job of making the audience care about what their fate will ultimately end up being.

Stray Observations

“Who do you have to fuck to get some brus-sketta around here?!”

“Note to self: remember to ask the aliens if they did Stonehenge.”

-Don’s reaction to getting a brain freeze was hilarious.

-Did anyone get a screen cap of all the people Ozzie had emailed? I try to catch them as fast as I could, but it was only on screen for a second, and I was watching on a relatively small TV.